Q: As a lifelong Wyoming Cowboys fan, I am rooting for linebacker Brian Hendricks (a two-time Colorado state wrestling champion at Burlington High School) in the NFL. Wrestling prepared him mentally and physically for football. Could the Broncos improve defensively by practicing wrestling takedowns?

A: Tackling in the NFL definitely has deteriorated. Many defensive players go for the big hit rather than the fundamentally sound tackle. Younger players, in high school and college football, see the big hits in the NFL and try to emulate the pro players delivering them.

The Broncos work on proper tackling. In one of their drills at practice, an assistant coach holds a blocking dummy that has been marked with tape at the spot just above the knees on a player of average size. Defensive players strike the blocking dummy with a shoulder, hitting through the target and landing on a crash pad.

NFL scouts like football prospects who have wrestling in their background because those players know how to maintain balance and good position for leverage as they make an explosive move. It’s part of their training on the mat. But coaches in the league complain that they don’t get enough practice time with players to work on their fundamentals.

Proper shoulder tackling could become prominent again as the NFL tries to reduce concussions by reducing blows to the head. Defensive players are increasingly getting fined a lot of money for making the big hits that once were part of the league’s highlight videos.

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